Page 27 of Between the Stars

Backed up against the brick siding, I’ve been here once before with him. Junior year when I thought I might be pregnant with his baby. I miscarried the following week, but I distinctly remember the seventeen-year-old nerves and the possibility of our lives changing forever. The memory takes me back to his trembling hands and my nervous laughter when he promised I’d never do it alone. He’d be there for us. Is that still true?

I’m not sure, but here we are. Years later, and nothing is the same. I was fearless when I was with Jace, and now what am I? Ordinary and living a lie. Silenced by control and scared I’m making the worst decision of my life.

This guy standing in front of me, his hat backward, eyes hungry and alive, the only silence I have around him is forgetting my own name because he takes every other thought I have, and desire is the only thing left.

I tilt my head back against the brick. “What?” I ask as he’s staring at me, searching my eyes for an answer I didn’t hear him ask.

He stares down at me, his eyes searching mine, his tone desperate. “Abbi, what are you doing here?”

“I’m… not sure,” I admit, my throat dry. “Do you remember—”

“I remember the taste of your kiss,” he says softly, interrupting me as his voice fills with lust. “The way your eyes light up when I say your name, and the scowl of your brow when you’re pissed at me.” His fingers brush my cheek. “I remember the taste of your pussy and the sigh that leaves your lips anytime my cock slips inside you.” His teeth sink into his lip. “What would you like a refresher on?”

Oh.

My.

God.

He steps closer and our chests touch. His jaw is clenched, and with a grunt, he yanks me flush against the heat of him. Swallowing, his eyes dart to my lips and then my eyes. His cheeks are flushed, maybe from the cold, maybe from the whiskey, but whatever the reason, it’s endearing. A reminder of the boy I loved most of my life. “If you’re not sure, how about we take a drive?”

A drive? A tremble works through me, but the heat in his hands sliding underneath my jacket warm me. “Where?”

“Anywhere but this place.” His eyes lift to the brick behind me, but I don’t think he knows all the ways he invades my space and mind. He studies my expression and all I see is hurt in his eyes. “Too many memories here of a girl I lost.”

My brow furrows and I study his features. He’s no longer a boy. There’s laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and a fading tan still present from the summers spent working on the Grady Ranch. My lips twitch into a smile. “Maybe you didn’t lose her,” I hedge, curious what his reaction might be. It’s as if the world stands still as I wait on his words. Snow falls around us, the silence almost suffocating.

He hangs his head before bringing his eyes to mine. “Then come with me.” The corners of his mouth lift into a slight smirk. “Leave all this behind and come with me.”

Leave all this behind? Is he talking about my engagement, or Christmas? Could be both knowing him.

“I came with Rhett.” I stutter over the words, their wavering obvious. “He’s gonna wonder where I am.”

He watches my internal struggle to maintain indifference. He blinks, thick dark lashes lowering, a stark contrast to his green eyes, but here in the shadows, everything is dark. Still, I know their vibrancy. “That’s half the fun, honey.” He winks, stepping back a fraction of an inch. A waft of his scent hits me and my knees weaken. There’s no cologne or scent like he took a bath in something made by Ralph Lauren.

No, this guy is what country smells like.

Leather. Dirt. Sweat. Grease… and it’s everything I need him to be. A reminder that I still crave this, even now.

I run my hand up his chest, over his flannel. My fingertips dance along the buttons. Licking my lips, I draw in a breath. Or maybe I bite my lip. I’m not entirely sure of my reaction because my brain just sort of shuts off when I make eye contact with him. “I can’t just run away with you. My parents know I’m home. They’re gonna wonder why I didn’t come back from the bar.”

“I didn’t say anything about running away. I said take a drive,” he points out, but behind the smirk is that same mystery he’s always had about him. It’s as if he knows a secret, and he’s never going to tell you. “Unless you want to get lost with me.”

“I know you.” I lift my hand to his face. I run my thumb over his lip, so full, soft, and I desperately want to remember what it feels like dancing across the inside of my thigh. “And if I get in that car with you, there’s no going back.”

His boots shift, the rock salt sprayed on the sidewalk crunching beneath his feet. “Something tells me that’s why you’re here….” His voice trails off and it’s not a lie. He knows me better than I know myself.

Why am I here?I ask myself again.

I drop my hand and our fingertips touch. His warm, mine cold, throbbing from the blast of negative-degree wind hitting us. Without thinking, I whisper the words, “I’m here because I need to know what this is between us.”

His gaze dips to my lips once more, but he doesn’t kiss me. His fingers close around mine and he tugs. “Then let me show you something.”

CHAPTER9

Made it to Midnight

ABBI

---